"Probability that Walt Disney's live-action Technicolor romantic melodrama, THE STORY OF ROBIN HOOD, will be one of the hit pictures of the year got a big added push through a precedential promotion device blanketing every important school district in the nation.
It bears the provocative title, THE RIDDLE OF ROBIN HOOD, and is a 15-minute documentary prelude to the theatrical feature.
Stirring highlights in the legend of the celebrated outlaw patriot are combined with a behind-the-scenes revelation of how the Disney picture was made. This, as scores of prominent educators have acknowledged, has legitimate classroom value. At the same time, wherever THE RIDDLE has been loaned to schools, a new focal point of intense interest in THE STORY OF ROBIN HOOD has been set up, with obvious reflection at the local theatre box office.
Use and reception of the innovation by school authorities and students in scores of cities is the talk of the trade and portends further use of similar documentary shorts for other feature releases.
It is also designed for television use and has already been importantly programmed in this medium as part of the enormous advertising, publicity and exploitation campaign in operation behind THE STORY OF ROBIN HOOD".
I have been told the Riddle of Robin Hood was also shown in Britain, both on television and in the cinema. Did you see it?
2 comments:
Yes I did see it on Television many times. This has to be put into
perspective though - at the time in early 1952 there was just ONE TV channel in Britain - the BBC. and even this one channel had only a limited service - mainly teatime for Children then closing down and then on again at, say 7-30 pm. Then in the mornings there were various test transmissions and 'Interludes' showing. Because of all this and the need to show something, 'The Riddle of Robin Hood' was shown again and again at that time - I must have seen many of the showings and remember it so well. Walt Disney had given this film to the BBC - as I say - the only TV channel and this is what they did with it - I am so pleased that they did
Thanks, Neil. Yes, those times need to be put into perspective and with just one channel, it was a perfect way for Disney to advertise his upcoming movie.
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